Comfy kitchens cook up interest in Jakarta<\/p>\n
Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Big changes appear to be underway in the rarefied world of
\nIndonesian kitchen design.<\/p>\n
Gone are the dark days when the kitchen was a dim and
\nthreatening dungeon where the sweating housemaid was virtually
\nchained to the stove and cockroaches ruled the roost.<\/p>\n
Now, for the well-heeled Jakarta glitterati, at any rate, the
\nkitchen has become a place where guests and close friends mingle
\nfor parties and other de rigueur social gatherings in the home.<\/p>\n
\"The market here follows the trends in interior design in
\nEurope and North America. First, they concentrate on the
\nbedrooms, followed by the living room, the bathroom and later the
\nkitchen,\" said Dennis Rahardja, a manager with Indonesia's sole
\nagent for three top-of-the-range kitchen appliance brands.<\/p>\n
\"The high-end market for kitchens in Indonesia is not as
\nstrong as that for bathrooms at the moment. But the demand for
\nkitchens is growing healthily,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He explained that in Europe and the United States the kitchen
\nhad long been regarded as an important area in the house, and
\npeople in Singapore, Hong Kong and Thailand were following the
\ntrend.<\/p>\n
Dirk Lohmann, Southeast Asia brand manager for German kitchen
\ncabinet provider Nobilia, said that in Europe the \"kitchen trend\"
\nhad become established some 10 years ago.<\/p>\n
\"We are not saying that people regard kitchens as being of the
\nsame importance as the living room. That would be going too far,
\nalthough we would be really happy if it happened. But kitchens
\nare now no longer only for preparing food,\" Lohmann said.<\/p>\n
No indeed! The kitchen is now the place where the family
\ngathers to eat simple meals like breakfast while chatting, or
\nbickering, in a more convivial atmosphere than that offered by a
\nformal dining area.<\/p>\n
\"While I was in the States, the kitchen was the area where we
\ngathered for parties involving friends. I could cook while my
\nfriends sat around me, chatting,\" said Cynthia Hambali, the owner
\nof a shabu-shabu restaurant in Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"I could participate in the conversation as the kitchen area
\nwas not separate. Later after enjoying our meal, my friends could
\ndo the dishes,\" she added slyly.<\/p>\n
Cynthia said that some houses in the States even had computers
\nin the kitchen for recipes.<\/p>\n
However, even those who do not like cooking, or getting their
\nhands even the slightest bit dirty, now also want to have a
\ncomfortable kitchen.<\/p>\n
\"Here in Jakarta, some of my clients request a sophisticated
\ndesign for their kitchens at home but they, er, don't use them
\noften,\" admitted Rudy Dodo, an interior designer for Trivium
\nDesign.<\/p>\n
He said that the younger generation now preferred well-
\ndesigned open kitchens rather than separate or closed kitchens.
\nThis was in marked contrast to the older generation.<\/p>\n
Separately, Dennis said that many of the customers who came to
\nhis showroom in the Jakarta Design Center in Central Jakarta
\nwanted their kitchens to be synchronized with the overall design
\nof the house, particularly in the case of open kitchens.<\/p>\n
\"It would be awkward if the design left the kitchen looking
\naustere while the other rooms looked grand,\" he said. He also
\nadmitted that despite their apparent interest in kitchens, many
\nof his customers wouldn't set hand to stove if they were
\nstarving.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, their new-found interest in kitchens means that
\nJakarta's moneyed classes are often more than willing to shell
\nout hundreds of millions of rupiah for a well-designed ensemble.<\/p>\n
For example, a set of high-quality but middle-end kitchen
\ncabinets will cost at least Rp 10 million per meter in length.<\/p>\n
This does not include the necessary kitchen fittings and
\nappliances, like microwave, dishwasher, sink and stove.<\/p>\n
\"The most expensive brand of appliances is Gaggenau from
\nGermany. We haven't sought the franchise for this brand as their
\nprices are too high for the market here,\" Dennis said.<\/p>\n
His company is the sole agent for the Franco-German firm, De
\nDietrich, German firm Franke and French firm Brandt.<\/p>\n
\"De Dietrich is the most expensive of the three. The average
\ncost for a set of De Dietrich appliances can reach Rp 100
\nmillion, while a set of Franke appliances costs up to Rp 80
\nmillion and a Brandt, whose competitors are, for example, Bosch
\nand the high-end line from Ariston, can reach up to Rp 60
\nmillion,\" Dennis explained.<\/p>\n
The habit of hiring live-in maids in Indonesia has created
\nwelcome extra work for kitchen designers.<\/p>\n
\"People who have enough money usually make two kitchens -- one
\nis a dry kitchen for them and another is a wet kitchen for the
\nmaids to work in,\" Dennis said.<\/p>\n
\"But, those with tighter budgets who can only afford one
\nkitchen, well, they can use it together with the maid. Such an
\narrangement normally calls for some design modifications,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
For example, the kitchen would usually be located near the
\nmaid's room and would probably have two entrances -- one for the
\nfamily and another for the maid.<\/p>\n
But whatever design people choose, relaxing in a comfortable
\nkitchen is definitely the way to go.<\/p>",
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